Dan Henderson Has No Qualms About Fighting Chael Sonnen

As Dan Henderson prepared to face Jon Jones for the light
heavyweight title this past September, Chael Sonnen served as a
training partner in his camp. When “Hendo” was forced to withdraw
from the UFC 151 bout due to a knee injury, an opportunistic Sonnen
offered to fill the void in the main event.

The rest, despite being less than six months ago, already feels
like ancient history. Jones refused to face Sonnen on short notice,
ultimately leading to the first cancellation of a UFC event in
promotion history. The two fighters were then given coaching roles
on Season 17 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” and will square off at
UFC
159 on April 27.

Henderson, meanwhile, recovered from his injury and could be in
line to face the Jones-Sonnen winner – provided he gets past Lyoto
Machida next weekend at UFC
157. If the stars align, Henderson could be pitted against his
pal Sonnen at a later date.

That possibility suits the former two-division Pride Fighting
Championships titlist just fine.

“We’re in a sport and sometimes friends have to fight,” Henderson
recently told Fox 11 Los Angeles sports anchor James Koh. “It’s
not a fight I’d be asking for or wanting. But if he has the title
he has to fight whoever and if I’m the guy to have the next title
shot I’d absolutely fight him.”

Henderson might not admit it, but Sonnen is a far more favorable
matchup for him than Jones, whose reach and myriad offensive skills
have made him a difficult puzzle for the entire 205-pound division.
If the self-proclaimed “Gangster from West Linn” were to shock the
world in two months, there would be no conflict of emotions from
Henderson, a la the situation that went down between Novia Uniao
stablemates Eduardo Dantas and Marcos Galvao at Bellator 89.

Henderson was less than thrilled when Sonnen was awarded a title
shot without garnering a single 205-pound victory inside the
Octagon, and he was not shy about making his feelings known on
Twitter. Reality says that a Henderson-Sonnen title showdown is the
least likely of all potential scenarios, as both men are underdogs
in their upcoming bouts. However, one well-placed H-bomb to the
dome of Sonnen might give the Team Quest co-founder some much
needed closure to a series of frustrating events that began in
September.